Frank p



(No Model.)

F. P; BIRLEY. PAPER BOX.

Patented Man 19, 1895.

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UNHED STATES PATENT @FFICEQ FRANK P. BIRLEY, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

PAPER BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 536,064, dated March19, 1895.

Application filed December 3,1894. Serial No. 530,655- (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FRANK P. BIRLEY, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain, residing in the city of Toronto, Province of Ontario, Canada,have invented certain new and useful Improvemenlsin Paper Boxes,whichimprovements are fully set forth and describedin the followingspecification, reference being bad to the accompanying sheet ofdrawings.

This invention has particular relation to folding boxes of the classknown to the trade as containers or telescoping boxes the same beingused commonly for marketing hardware, confectionery and numerous otherlike articles.

The blanks from which such boxes are formed are usually packed, andshipped to the user, flat; that is tosay in the exact form in which saidblanks are delivered by the cutting and scoring dies, thus reducingfreight charges to a minimum and making it possible to pack a greatnumber of such blanks in the same space required for a few folded or setup boxes of the same class. It is particularly desirable in such boxesthat economy of cardboard stock shall be considered, also that the box,when folded or set up, shall combine great strength with a pleasingoutward appearance and these desiderata I have had specially in mindwhen producing the present invention.

To aid in explaining my invention I have provided the annexed sheet ofdrawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from which thebox'may be formed by suitably folding said blank. Fig. 2 is a plan viewof one end of said blank as it appears when partially folded and Fig. 3is a cross sectional view of the same when the box proper has been fullyfolded but before the locking flap has been tucked under the end folds.In Fig. 4 I have illustrated said flap as properly tucked under said endfolds to prevent the accidental opening or collapsing of the finishedbox. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of one section of a telescopic box ofthis class, and Fig. 6 is a similar view of a complete box.

In the blank shown at Fig.1 the several dotted lines indicate lines ofscoring, or indentation, where the said blank is to be bent during theoperation of setting up or shaping the box. Said blank consists in partof a bottom portion a, sides bb and opposing ends c-c, said blank(excepting certain looking flaps hereinafter described) beingsubstantially rectangular in outline. The lines of scoring which outlinethe bottom, sides and ends of the box form, at each corner of the blank,an approximately square section which is divided into two triangularportions dol by a diagonal line of scoring d which latter extends fromthe extreme corner of the blank to the point of intersection of thescorings which outline the sides and ends of the blank. Projecting fromeach of the end sections 0 is what I term a locking flap, the same beingcut away at each side and thus formed substantially as a T head e.

When it is desired to fold, or set up,-a box of my improved form thesides b-b are bent upward and at the same time the corner sections dd(at one end of the box) are bent inward on line d thus drawing inwardthe end section 0. When about one-half folded the several sectionsassume the positions of Fig. 2, the sides bb being brought up to anangle of say forty-five degrees, the edge of corner section (1 being invertical alignment with the cross scoring, and the corner sections atbeing brought almost together. The sides bb and end 0 are then broughtup to right angles with the bottom a and, as a result, the cornersections dd are folded flatly against each other with the apexes of thetwo-ply triangles thus formed overlapping, as seen in Fig. 3 of thedrawings. To hold the folded sections in the described positions theflap e is now folded inward, over the said overlapping ends of thecorner sections, and the oppositely extending ends of the T head of saidflap are then tucked under or behind the said triangular end sections,as clearly illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. This results in formingatoggle,or lock, which efiectually prevents the sides from being pulledapart, no matter how great the strain may be, as the stiff two-plytriangular sections are securely bound in place by the flap section 6,which latter is folded tightly over them, and said flap section is alsosecured against displacement by its T head which is looked under thesaid triangular portions, as described.

ICO

The flap section is preferably a trifle shorter than the width of theside and end pieces of the box so that when the box is completed the endof the flap will not extend quite to the bottom, thereby permitting ofthe ends of the fingers being inserted under it for removing the ends ofthe T head from under the holes in collapsing the box, or for insertingthe ends of the fingers for holding the central portion of the flap outfrom the wall of the box so that the end of the head can be pushed underthe folds when the box is being set up.

In boxes of this class it has always been more or less difficult toprovide a simple form of lock that would combine strength with cheapnessand ease of operation. It has been quite a common practice to cut slitsin the blank, but in such devices it is usually difficult to enter thetongues in the slits and the latter, being formed in a single thicknessof cardboard, are easily torn, or out out by the tongue, if anyappreciable strain is brought to bear upon them, whereas, in my presentinvention the T head, which may be of unusual size and strength,interlocks with the stiff, two-ply, triangular ends of the box and thegreater the pressure brought to bear upon said interlocking parts, somuch the more will the T head be drawn into close engagement with theends. The infolded sections d-d also serve to stiffen the complete boxand make it possible to use somewhat thinner stock than is ordinarilypracticable.

Usually two boxes are formed in the manner I have described, one ofwhich is used as the box proper and the other as the cover, as seen inFig. 6 of the drawings.

My described box is very easily set up, and is both strong andserviceable.

Having described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure byLetters Patent The herein described box formed from a single piece ofmaterial, consisting of a bottom and four walls connected together atthe corners with triangular folded sections, two of the walls oppositeeach other, each being provided with an extension of a less length thanthe depth of the box and provided with a T head, the ends of which headare passed under the folded angular sections, substantially as setforth.

FRANK P. BIRLEY.

\Vitnesses:

F. A. DRAKE, L. MCCABE.

